Hobby Lobby Eyes February Opening of Store. 12/29/2010 — The Business Review reports that Michael's and A.C. Moore competitor Hobby Lobby plans to open a 55,000-square-foot store in Latham New York. The store will sell items such as arts and crafts, party items, and home accents, to name a few.

Tomica Lands in the US. 12/28/2010 — According to autoevolution, Japanese-based die-cast toy company Tomica plans to enter the U.S. market once again since pulling out in the 1980s. Energized by the growing interest that Americans are having for the auto industry, Tomica will be selling its model vehicles through Toys 'R' Us and FAO Schwartz. Prices to range from $4.99 and up.

SCAD and Kids II® Joining Together to Offer Creative Learning Opportunities. 12/27/2010 — According to a press release, Savannah College of Art and Design is teaming up with baby product company Kids II to provide new product ideas for Kids II in return for providing students with hands-on experience in a real-world, corporate environment.

Dangerous counterfeit toys seized at LAX. 12/24/2010 — Two days ago, Los Angeles ABC News reported that the U.S. Customs and Border Protection seized about 55,000 children's ride-on vehicles from China at LAX. The vehicles featured couterfeit batteries, which pose a safety hazard.

Toymaker can't sell Gibson look-alikes. 12/23/2010 — Nashville-based Gibson Guitar Corp. was granted a request for an injunction against WowWee USA Inc., the maker of Paper Jamz toy guitars, on Wednesday by a court in Los Angeles. The ruling directs retailers to stop selling the stringless guitars, which play music as children pretend to be rock stars, The Tennesean reports.

Barrett LaRoda negotiates deal with Funko. 12/22/2010 — Chairman of the LaRoda LTD, Barrett LaRoda has finalized a deal on behalf of Funko that will license celebrities as Hip Hop branded figures. Funko, one of the largest manufacturers of entertainment bobblehead products is the leader in bobbleheads, vinyl action figures, and plush toys. LaRoda negotiated the licensing for Biggie and Tupac, making them the first two figures that will hit the market worldwide in early 2011.

CPSC Bans Drop-side Cribs. 12/22/2010 — In a December 15th unanimous vote, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) approved a rule to ban drop-side cribs, it was reported last week. New regulations will call for cribs with tighter fittings and more durable sides and mattress supports.

New Package Puts Jelly Belly in the Checkout Lane. 12/22/2010 — Jelly Belly Candy Company has released a new 1.45-oz. 20 Flavors bag well suited for quick turns at checkout. The new Jelly Belly 1.45-oz. bag is packed in two 24-count caddies that feature a low profile and removable header.

Kids Dominate Box Office — December 21, 2010. Kid flix dominated the silver screen this weekend, with Walt Disney's Tron: Legacy taking the top spot with $43,600,000. Warner Bros.' Yogi Bear came in 2nd, with a gross of $16,705,000, while Fox's Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn came in at third, with a take of $12,400,00, according to Variety.

Toys Tell Ancient Stories — December 21, 2010. 100 years of toys and dolls on display at the Stamford Museum and Nature Center 's Leonhardt Gallery in Connecticut til January 10th personalizes the collection with stories of the playthings. One teddy bear was de-stuffed and kept in a little boy's pocket when his family emigrated from Egypt, according to The New York Times.

Lusitania Sold for $194K — December 21, 2010. A 37.5-inch long toy replica of the famous Cunard ocean liner that was torpedoed by a German U-Boat during the the second world war brought almost $200,000 at a Sotheby's auction of antique toys in the collection of the late publisher Malcom Forbes. Overall, though, sales of the collection, which included the earliest known Monopoly game, handmade by its inventor Charles Darrow, were disappointing, according to The New York Post.

Debut of ‘Play Happens’ Among Exciting Events during Toy Fair 2011. 12/20/2010 — In conjunction with the opening of the largest toy box in the Western Hemisphere, the Toy Industry Association (TIA) has launched an exciting new initiative to correspond with the annual four-day extravaganza, Toy Fair. “Play Happens,” an innovative virtual and social board game created by TIA to bridge the online and offline activities of Toy Fair attendees and exhibitors, will turn the city into a virtual game board during the show, from February 13-16, 2011.

Zoobles vs. Squinkies: Hot Toys This Christmas. 12/17/2010 — Squinkies by Blip Toys are tiny creatures (animal, people, and objects) made of a rubber-like material and come in a variety of bright colors. Zoobles by Spin Master Toys are ping-pong-sized balls that magically pop into a creature when placed onto a special stand. Both are predicted to be huge hits this Christmas.

Alamo Drafthouse’s Mondo Teams up with Sideshow Collectibles for Poster Series. 12/16/2010 — Mondo, the collectible art boutique arm of Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, announced a partnership with Sideshow Collectibles to release a series of Mondo's highly sought after film posters from world famous artists. Mondo's limited edition, screen-printed posters will be available for purchase at MondoTees.com, with variants available at SideshowCollectibles.com. The first series in the partnership will be Walt Disney Picture's 3D high-tech adventure "TRON: Legacy" and the original "TRON."

Charity Gets Ugly. 12/15/2010 — Ugly Dolls were a featured charitable giveaway on the Today Show. Since Pretty Ugly LLC began donating plush to the Today Show in 2002, it has awarded almost $1,000,000 in merchandise to needy children. Watch the video here.

Fun Q Games announces international licensing agreement with The Green Board Game Company. 12/15/2010 — The award-winning card game Triplica by Fun Q Games has been licensed to The Green Board Game Company for manufacturing and distribution. The license agreement permits Green Board Games to sell Triplica in all markets with the exceptions of North America and Israel. Fun Q Games will continue to be the sole supplier of Triplica in North America. Triplica will soon be made available in Israel by SmartZone through a licensing agreement signed earlier this year, according to a press release.

Canadian company making dolls that give birth. 12/15/2010 — Canadian company MamAmor has come out with dolls that give birth. Designed for educational purposes for kids, the cloth mother doll features elasticized snap crotches with baby, umbilical cord, and placenta tucked inside the doll.

Thermo Fisher to Acquire Dionex for $2.1 Billion. 12/13/2010 — According to Businessweek, Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., the world’s largest maker of laboratory instruments, agreed to acquire Dionex Corp. for about $2.1 billion to expand in the water-analysis business in China.

PlayCon 2011: “Play to Win” Program Currently in Development. 12/10/2010 — Toy Industry Association is revamping their annaul executive leadership conference, formerly known as ToyCon, into PlayCon, a program designed to cater to toy industry and play professionals to discuss the business of play. PlayCon is scheduled to be held on May 4-6, 2011, in Scottsdale, AZ.

Council won’t play with kids’ fast food toys. 12/09/2010 — Councilors in Wisconsin decided Tuesday night that they weren’t going to toy with an ordinance that would ban free trinkets given away in children’s fast food meals. The council voted 7-1 to receive and file a proposal that would have banned free toys given away with unhealthy fast food meals.

Mattel Grows Diverse Games Portfolio with Acquisition of Phase 10(R) and iMAGiNiff(R) Games. 12/08/2010 - Mattel, Inc. today announced it has acquired the license for the exclusive, worldwide rights to classic rummy style card game Phase 10® from Fundex Games, Ltd. and in a separate transaction, has acquired the rights to party game favorite iMAGiNiff® from Blue Opal Australia Pty Ltd.

Dora stars in interactive storybook app. 12/08/2010 - Dora the Explorer is kick-starting the holidays by starring in a new interactive storybook app for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. Dora's Christmas Carol Adventure, developed for Nickelodeon by Montreal-based Budge Studios, features elements of mobile gaming and offers interactive storytelling interspersed with mini-games.

Baby GoGo™, a Gender-Neutral Doll for the Holidays. 12/07/2010 — Thirteen-inch doll Baby GoGo™ is a gender-neutral baby doll that features a medium skin tone and is dressed in contemporary colors, while targeting both boys and girls. The doll, since launch this year, has already garnered multiple awards, according to a press release.

Five Top Selling Toys and Games for the Past Week. 12/06/2010 — Of the five toys and games reported by The Independent, two that have made the list include Bananagrams and Bey Blade, as well as familiar names such as Scrabble and Ravensburger. See the list and how it was compiled.

Small-Business Owners Cry Foul Over US Safe-Toy Law. 12/03/2010 - Business owners say the regulatory costs imposed by the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 are forcing some companies to close their doors--even if their products pose no danger. But some lawmakers say the stringent rules are needed to keep kids safe. Some lawmakers may be open to amending the CPSIA.

New agency for Bandai. 12/03/2010 - Bandai has hired Mischief as its new PR firm. The firm will be working on all the Bandai product ranges from now onwards concentrating on boy's ranges Ben 10, Power Rangers and Armouron, girls' range Harumika and pre-school range Tinga Tinga Tales.

Hasbro/Yummy Dough case begins. 12/02/2010 - The High Court trial is expected to last six days, with Hasbro arguing the MAPS' use of the word 'dough' in its Yummy Dough line, infringes it own Play-Doh copyright.

Pocoyo™ Toy Line Makes a Splash at Retailers. 11/30/2010 - The Pocoyo toy line featuring characters from the multi-award winning animated series Pocoyo is now available at retailers including Toys"R"Us, Toysrus.com and Amazon.com. Bandai's toys capture the vibrant and exuberant world of Pocoyo and his animal friends for preschool children ages one through three, encouraging them to learn through laughter.